Naperville, IL
-- Getting
recognition for her accomplishments hasn't always been easy for Kim Buck.
She has dominated high school water polo in the Naperville area, but
coming into this season, she had never finished higher than the All-State
Third Team. That said, it will be hard to ignore her accomplishments this
year, as Kim scored 140 goals in the regular season and led her team to a
28-2 overall record in 2004.

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Kim has been
outstanding for the Huskies in her final year, playing solid defense and
carrying the bulk of the scoring load on her shoulders. She helped her
team get to the final weekend of the season with a 27-0 record before
losing two close games to #3 Stevenson and #6 Flossmoor. Heading into the
Neuqua Valley Sectional as the top seed, Kim has the Huskies within two
wins of a state tournament appearance. Naperville North will play either
Waubonsie Valley or Hinsdale South in the sectional semifinals, and, if
they win, would play either Neuqua Valley or Naperville Central with a
state berth on the line.

Buck is a
threat to score from nearly anywhere in the pool

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Kim has been awarded the Best Offensive Player award for
the past three years at Naperville North. She has been a four-year
starter, and was named to the All-Sectional First Team for her first three
seasons. She was recognized as an All-State Honorable Mention after her
sophomore campaign and was awarded with a third team finish in her junior
year. It has been a gradual rise up the ranks for the senior, who is
almost a lock for a spot on the All-State First Team at the end of this
season.

Kim began playing the
summer before her eighth grade year with the Naperville Park District
Program. “My mom thought that I would love polo so she signed me up for
it,” she said. “She was definitely right.”

Kim gives a lot of
credit to age group coach Mark Menis for her development. “I played under
Mark in my first few years, learning how to play a good, clean game,” she
stated. “I cannot express my thanks for all that he has done for me.”

Kim was blessed with the
opportunity to play at the Olympic Training Center her freshman year. She
had the opportunity to play with and be coached by some of the best in the
nation. Once she got her feet wet, Kim started playing as much water polo
as she possibly could. “I started playing on Mavericks Water Polo, which
gradually became West Suburban Water Polo,” she said. “On that team, we
competed at my first ever Junior Olympics in Ann Arbor,
Michigan. The following year I played with Northern Illinois Polo Club (NIPC)
and again concluded that season with JO’s in Walnut Creek, California.”

The next summer, Kim had
the opportunity to play out in California. “I played under Maureen O’Toole
(widely regarded worldwide as the greatest female water polo player of all
time) at Diablo Water Polo and that experience was more than I could ever
ask for,” she said. “Getting coached by her was fantastic, and the bonus
was being able to assist her in the coaching of the 12 and Under team,
which not only was a blast, but also reinstated the basics of everything
that she was teaching me.”

Diablo concluded their
season by playing at Senior Nationals, which allowed Kim to gain exposure
at a level of play that she had been striving for throughout her polo
career. Currently, Kim trains in the offseason with the Armada Masters
Team in Naperville. "It allows me to keep a feel for the ball once a
week,” she said.

Besides being a highly skilled water polo player,
Kim maintains a 3.80 grade point average. She will attend Arizona State
University and play collegiate water polo for the school. She plans to
major
in Biology with a Pre-Health focus and to minor in Spanish. She would
eventually like to attend medical school.

In her free time, Kim
enjoys a variety of music and also likes to dance. Her team describes her
as someone who will “bust a move to anything with a beat”. Although a
busy schedule keeps her from watching much television, she watches Alias
on Sunday nights and her favorite movie is Boondock Saints. Otherwise, she
likes to hang with friends outside of polo and school.

Kim's teammates have played a
huge role in her success over the years. "My
teammates this year have been the best bunch of girls that I have ever
been able to play with," she said. "We are friends both in and out of the
water, which definitely makes us closer." She also credits her coaches,
who she says have
"always been open to my opinions and are very supportive of me."

“Finally, my parents have
tried to give me every opportunity possible to allow me to pursue my water
polo passion. It is something that can never be repaid and I love them
dearly for all the sacrifices they have made to help me get to where I am
today.”

It is difficult to find
someone more passionate about water polo than Kim Buck. As she says: "I
find sheer and utter joy from playing water polo. It always puts me in a
better mood and makes my days great. I don’t know what it is and I can’t
describe it, all I know is that I just love the sport."